Sunday, December 19, 2010

A Peculiar People -- posted by Momma

Back in the 90's when the Lord had us pull the children out of school and teach them at home, I had no idea a million other families in the US were doing the exact same thing. We didn't have the Internet back then, so it was stunning to later realize we were part of a widespread revival. And even though we now have access to information about spiritual movements, I'm still flabbergasted to find that after the Lord has taught us and stirred our hearts on a certain subject, others have evidently been taught and stirred on the same matter... many others.

I always knew I should be a stay-at-home mom and Sarah Grace should be trained likewise by being a stay-at-home daughter. I knew even as a little girl that when I grew up I should trust the Lord with my conceptions. The Bible teaches that children are gifts from God, and to try to "control" that would be to suggest that the Lord doesn't know how to give good gifts, and that he can't be trusted with his timing. So really, these things were no-brainers even before I got the new birth.

What did surprise me was to see so many Christians simultaneously embracing practices such as:

1) a return to Biblical courtship (for lack of a better term) as opposed to modern dating

2) fathers apprenticing their sons, and sons resisting the trend of getting a college degree for the degree's sake

3) an increased interest in nutrition with wholesome home-cooked meals, made from local organic or home-grown produce and freshly ground grains (I'm pretty sure that buying our wheat mill happened after we were all interconnected, though. That would be just too weird.)

4) a revival of homemaking skills along with a return to gender-specific roles

5) a resurgence of home births

6) a return to Biblical home churches as opposed to the monstrosities of the denominations. (We posted a video series several posts back teaching the Biblical model for house meetings. The Lord has been opening our eyes for years to the "traditions of men" that have usurped the Biblical practice of house meetings. We've been having home church for ages, not realizing we were following the proper model all along!)

7) eschewing television and other forms of mass market entertainment (although we still own a TV)

Anyway, off the top of my head, those are some of the major counter-culture changes the Lord has led us into. I'm posting the following essay because I just marvel whenever we read about or meet people who have been drawn to the same lifestyle changes we have. I read this article and thought... gah.

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About Us

Welcome to Milk and Honey Acres!

We are a Christian homeschooling family of ten, including parents Bill and Mandy Allen, Will (28), Sarah Grace (27), Spencer (23), James (21), Webb (January 3, 1997 - April 7, 2010), John (17), George (15), and Richard (13).

This family blog was originally created to promote our little farm and entrepreneurial endeavors, while also being a source of delight for grandparents and family friends by showcasing the children's latest/greatest interests and accomplishments-- an online scrapbook of sorts. With the family maturing, along with the older boys' conflicting work and school schedules, it has evolved into a hub for our continuing education and entertainment. Although it remains a public blog, and y'all are certainly welcome, we may post homeschool assignments and points of interest for the family since our time all together is limited (boo-hoo).